Debates and polls

The Formula One season is up and running but there’s a who world of other motor racing action to enjoy during the year.

With major new international championships being launched, more manufacturers returning to racing, current F1 teams blooding new talent in junior categories and former F1 stars plying their trade in new series there’s almost too much racing action to take in during the year ahead.

F1 Fanatic Live will follow an increased number of selected championships this year and F1 Fanatic’s groups are getting new content and functionality for different racing categories ahead of the new season.

World Endurance Championship

Porsche arrive to make it a three-way fight between their V4-engined 919, the Audi R18 e-tron quattro with its turbodiesel V6 and Toyota’s TS040 V8 – all bristling with cutting edge energy recovery technology. And there’s the added intrigue of how Mark Webber will enjoy his return to sports car racing.

World Rally Championship

Three of the 13 events are already in the books and Sebastien Ogier is leading the way as expected, though team mate Jari-Matti Latvala has also started the season well. Hyundai have returned to join Citroen and Ford’s attempt to catch the flying Volkswagens.

Moto GP

A turbulent winter which included some very dubious rule making was finally left behind yesterday as the new season began in spectacular fashion. Jorge Lorenzo stole the lead on the first lap then threw it away, leaving Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi to a gripping duel for victory. Seventeen more races like that one, please.

GP2

Ferrari, McLaren, Williams and Caterham all have junior drivers in the field in the shape of Raffaele Marciello, Stoffel Vandoorne, Felipe Nasr and Alexander Rossi respectively. Force India are also backing the Hilmer team as F1’s foremost feeder series has one of its bet line-ups for years.

Formula Renault 3.5

The uprated cars introduced two years ago, boasting more power plus a better implementation of DRS than F1, have helped make this a credible rival to GP2. For proof of that, look no further than reigning champion Kevin Magnussen who scored a podium on his F1 debut last week.

Formula Three

Still a valuable and relevant stepping-stone on the path to Formula One despite the emergence of GP3 as a competitor. While the FIA-backed European series goes from strength to strength the British championship is rebuilding after being forced to cut back to just four rounds last year.

GP3

Three of the four GP3 champions are already in F1 and the fourth – 2012 victor Mitch Evans – is plugging away in GP2. Last year’s car upgrade has strengthened its place on the ladder to F1, and in a further boost this year every round will support a grand prix.

DTM

Great cars and great drivers though the over-engineered racing (mandatory pit stops and DRS) too often fails to impress. The class of the field shines through, however, with young talent like Antonio Felix da Costa, Daniel Juncadella and Edoardo Mortara up against ex-F1 racers such as Paul di Resta and Timo Glock.

BTCC

A humongous 31-car field should ensure the British Touring Car Championship remains a crowd-pleaser. The welcome return of international talent to the series in the shape of Fabrizio Giovanardi and Alain Menu means there will be no fewer than seven champions on the grid.

WTCC

The manufacturer contest will be between Honda and Citroen in cars built to new rules which should make for more exciting cars whether or not they’re moving. All eyes will be on multiple WRC champion Sebastien Loeb following his latest change of codes.

Australian V8 Supercars

The new V8 Supercars championship got off to a thrilling start in Adelaide with new arrivals Volvo proving competitive right from the first round. The non-points F1 support races in Melbourne gave further indication that this year’s series won’t fail to excite.

NASCAR

Five races down, thirty-one still to go in NASCAR’s dauntingly long calendar. To keep the championship alive until the final rounds the organisers have introduced a complicated new points system. But finding tyres that could go the distance was more of a problem in yesterday’s race.

Formula E

A fascinating new addition the the international motor racing scene pits all-electric cars against each other on city-centre race tracks. But will it sustain interest once the novelty has worn off, and are they really serious about their naff ‘fanboost’ idea? All we be revealed in September.

World Rallycross Championship

Another new championship featuring explosively powerful cars racing on short, mixed-surface tracks in a series of heats. Top names including Jacques Villeneuve and Petter Solberg are already slated to feature in the inaugural 12-round series. Look out for a dedicated F1 Fanatic group soon.

Acceleration FA1

The new racing series just keep coming but the cars and premise of this one are familiar. The original generation A1 Grand Prix cars – which first saw action in 2005 – will be back for more nation-vs-nation action in a new ten-round European championship.

Over to you

Are you following any of these championships besides F1? What races do you always attend each year? And what about other series like Auto GP and Japan’s Super Formula?

Thinking about it, and even in light of a lot of things I don’t like about it, I don’t consistently watch a whole lot other than F1.

Indycar – Will tune in from time to time as absolutely loved it in the 1990s when I would actually argue it was a superior, purer racing series than F1. Ever since the split though it’s been hard to get too excited about it but each year I live in hope! Ditched too many great road courses (Laguna Seca, Road America in particular) and miss the variety of different chassis providers too. Not a great talent pool of drivers if I’m honest too.

GP2 – watch the odd race but has become bit of a rich boy’s series over the past 4 years or so. There’s not been a Hamilton or (back in F3000 days) a Montoya who’s made me think “this kid is incredible”. I would watch Formula Renault 3.5 in stead but is always bit hapharzardly scheduled on Eurosport and Motors TV.

Will follow Le Mans every year but not really got the time to watch the other WEC races although the Audi v Toyota v Porsche battle this year could change my mind.

Moto GP – Nah. Probably too set in my ways but motorbikes have never rocked by boat for some reason. The only 2 wheelers I’m into are in the Tour de France.

Indycar, GP2, GP3, WSbR, WRC, Moto GP, F3 Euro and that’s about it. WEC is a high speed engineering exercise that’s so boring not even MW’s presence will make me follow it. The only touring car series worth following are V8 supercars and BTCC but I can’t watch them anyway so why follow them? Formula E I might watch should I ever need a sleeping pill in the form of the all-electric whizzing which the stupid organizers dare call “futuristic”. Among the other things I don’t like about it. First time I heard about this “Acceleration” nonsense was here and now, and the notion excites me a lot(not at all)
Nascar, as per usual I will watch the 2 road course races but nothing much else

I will also be following TUSC if it survives the bad management. I hear rumours that some are looking to start a new series? Sebring was a disaster with the loss of 5 hours of racing mainly due to the officiating. I cannot see how they will manage the yellows in a 2 hour race at long Beach if it takes 30 minutes to pass a full course yellow. Fans will be screaming for a return on the cost of their tickets. I want to see sport car racing not Nascar style officiating, club racing will be more exciting.